#DMTBeautySpot #beauty

Why All Men Should Try Acupuncture Once

If you’re struggling with overly sore muscles, exhaustion, stress or any number of physical ailments, the solution might be one you’ve never considered — acupuncture.

RELATED: Get Stronger With Self Massage

The Chinese medicine practice has substantially increased in popularity over the past decade, and many active men are finding benefits from adding it into their wellness routines. Acupuncture proponents says it can help with a wide variety of ailments, notably with muscle recovery and relieving pain from working out.

Still, despite its potential benefits, if you have yet to experience acupuncture firsthand, you might be hesitant to give it a try – particularly if you’re afraid of needles. To ease your fears, we checked in with the pros to give you the lowdown on what exactly acupuncture is, what acupuncture does for your body and wellbeing and how you can go about finding an acupuncturist.

What Is Acupuncture?

Acupuncture is a millennia-old traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), based on the practice of balancing qi, the body’s life energy, through the precise placement of hair-thin needles. To many observers, acupuncture looks like just sticking these needles all over your body – which technically it is – but it’s the specific placement of every needle that is said to aid in solving the patient’s specific problem.

TCM theory posits that there are over 1,000 acupuncture points on the body that lay on “meridians,” invisible energy channels. When qi is blocked or stagnated, the body can become prone to physical illness, and inserting needles along the meridians unblocks the energy flow. According to Mayo Clinic, many of the common conditions for which acupuncture can help relieve pain include headaches, arthritis and joint pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea, allergies and more.

The practice originated in China almost 2,000 years ago, but only within the past few decades has it become a popular holistic treatment in Western culture. It continues to become more mainstream – a 2014 survey reported that more than 10 million acupuncture treatments are administered annually in the U.S.. In fact, I count myself among the many routine recipients of acupuncture.

What Is an Acupuncture Appointment Like?

I first came to acupuncture in a state of distress. I had recently injured my shoulder in a bout of biceps tendonitis, paired with a chronic knee pain that had developed a year prior (which I attribute to living in a five-story walkup) — physical therapy was just not working fast enough. I was looking for new ways to supplement my healing process, and a colleague recommended acupuncture. As someone with intense trypanophobia (fear of needles), this solution was hardly my ideal method, but I was desperate and willing to try anything to get back to my normal exercise routine with minimal pain.

After some meticulous research and lots of self-encouragement, I steeled myself to see an acupuncturist. At your first acupuncture appointment, you’ll fill out a health history form and discuss with your acupuncturist any health concerns and what you problem you are trying to solve. I went through this process with my acupuncturist, singling out a few issues I wanted to tackle. In addition to the aforementioned physical ailments, I threw anxiety and high stress levels in there because, hey, who doesn’t feel a little overstressed and overworked.

I explained to my acupuncturist how cautious I was – which I’m sure was obvious enough – and she assured me not to worry, as many patients are nervous their first time, and luckily, acupuncture can help with that anxiety, too. She promised that she would use thinner needles to start and go easy on me. Acupuncturists will use ultra-fine needles that range from 3 to 5 cm in length. While you don’t feel the needles piercing your skin as you would expect, when they hit the tender or troublesome spots, they can jolt your body. There are certain points on my knees that, to this day, feel like an electric shock.

During an acupuncture treatment, your practitioner may apply heat or electrical stimulation to augment the healing effects. They may also burn herbs near the acupuncture points, called moxibustion; herbs may also be administered on your afflicted areas, or prescribed in pill form or as tea. My acupuncturist pastes herbs and uses a heater during my treatments, which each last about 45 minutes; the needles are on me for about 30 minutes of that time.

RELATED: Health and Wellness Trends for 2019

Why Should Active Men Try Acupuncture?

Whether you’re in the gym to gain muscle mass or stay lean, the recovery phase of exercise is just as important as the workout itself. Squatting 100 or 300 pounds, your body still needs time to repair damaged tissues and replenish energy stores. Here is where acupuncture can help (approved by your doctor, of course).

Dr. Christopher Peacock, director of Brooklyn acupuncture clinic Yinova Center, tells AskMen that blood circulation, a major benefit of acupuncture, is essential in the recovery phase of exercise physiology. “When we exercise, we create microtears in muscle fiber which is necessary for muscle development,” says Peacock. “It’s important to make sure that all of our soft tissues (muscles, fascia, ligaments, tendons, nerves) have adequate blood supply to prevent injury during the activity. Recovery is when the real magic happens; it's when muscles become stronger because the microtears are healing, but they can only do this if they are full of blood that has vital nutrients for repair.”

Acupuncture is proven to help inhibit the inflammatory process, which causes pain when fresh blood can’t move to an inflamed area. Peacock notes that acupuncture can help with workout-related injuries by moving fresh blood in and toxins out of the affected areas. This can speed up recovery and also aid in healing sore muscles, and actually gets to the root of the problem, as opposed to painkillers that just treat the symptoms.

“The soreness we experience after a hard workout is a good example of a metabolite build up, in this case lactic acid. Acupuncture has been shown to relieve pain in muscles associated with delayed onset muscle soreness,” says Dr. Peacock. Rest and recovery are necessary for any muscle healing process, but think of acupuncture as a booster.

One theory on why acupuncture is so effective is that acupuncture stimulates the release of endorphins, the body’s pain-relieving chemicals, and the part of the brain that controls serotonin levels, according to Harvard Health. This could explain why many patients feel happier and relaxed when they leave an appointment — it has mental benefits as well.

The Yinova Center recommends weekly acupuncture for active men during times of intense training or competition; for certain injuries, multiple sessions per week can be helpful. An acupuncturist will always create a treatment plan on a case-by-case basis.

Where Can You Find an Acupuncturist?

With acupuncture becoming more commonplace as a form of alternative medicine, you can find an acupuncturist in pretty much any mid-to-large city across the U.S. When I first looked to book an appointment, I had to sift through dozens of clinic listings in New York. Because acupuncture can be intimidating to those unfamiliar with it, it’s a great idea to ask your network for recommendations on who to see.

When booking your first acupuncture appointment, make sure that they are certified by NCCAOM (National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine). The organization currently boasts 18,105 board-certified acupuncturists. Also consider your budget — some insurance plans cover acupuncture, but the out-of-pocket costs are usually somewhere around $70-90 per session.

Overall, acupuncture is extremely safe with very low risks, so it can be worth trying to see if it makes a noticeable impact on your body. It’s helped me immensely with expediting healing and managing pain, as it has for millions of other Americans who regularly receive treatment.

You Might Also Dig:

The Best Workout Recovery Tools & Myofascial Release Tools How to Make the Perfect Post-Workout Shake How to Recover After a Tough Workout

DMTBeautySpot

via https://www.DMTBeautySpot.com

Ryan McWilliams, Khareem Sudlow